FIVE

Sutoomu

First off...thank yous go out to Hellfire, duodragoon21, SanzoGirl, bloodredblack, catc10, Kirihana, NaraOccult, Backwards Bandit, Triters' Muse, and Vitanie Tora! My dearest reviewers who still love me and read my fic.

This is the seventeenth chapter of Five. I apologize for the shortness of the last two chapters. The net one should be a long one. I estimate this fic will hit twenty chaps and then it'll be done. Maybe less. I'm trying to figure out the ending, how to write it, and I decided to just spend an entire morning-my birthday morning, ironically-writing on Five.

Enjoy! I hope this chapter makes my readers feel better. I've been moving things slowly.

With Meiran's fatigue from the past week and her lack of sleep from the night before, Wufei managed to slip out of her embrace-feeling very guilty-and get down to the library without waking her. She remained deeply asleep in bed until the piercing sound of the doorbell woke her from her slumbers, piercing through her dreams like the shrill, high pitched noise it annoyingly was. Knowing Wufei would never get it-she wasn't even sure if he would even comprehend it-she groaned lazily and sat up. The frigid air of a rainy night assaulted her bare feet and she shivered. The thought of ignoring the doorbell so it would hopefully annoy Wufei to hell and make him answer it flittered through her mind processes, but she quickly dismissed it. There was no certainty that the visitor would ring the doorbell enough times to annoy Wufei, or if Wufei would even get annoyed. He was very good at meditation, so Meiran had seen.

Sighing with the certainty that this was another distant relative or well wisher coming to congratulate them on a marriage that was already falling apart, Meiran stood up and quickly got dressed. Taking a few quick swipes at her bed hair, she checked in the mirror that she was relatively presentable, then quickly rushed down the stairs and into the entrance. Pulling the door open, she blinked and looked into a pair of deep blue eyes, that shone in the morning sun. The eyes led to the distinctly asian face-japanese, she believed-and the messy but attractive hair, and then the full well built but slender body of a youth, who looked to be just a bit older than herself.

"Is this the residence of Wufei Chang?" the visitor asked in a deep and purely masculine voice.

Meiran nodded slowly. "Yes, it is," she replied, courteous and polite in tone. "I am Meiran Chang, his wife."

"His wife...," the man repeated, and Meiran felt like she was being inspected and graded suddenly. "May I speak with Wufei?"

Meiran looked back into the hallway at the library door and sighed, turning back to the youth. "I'm sorry, but Wufei has been feeling ill of late. He's resting, and wishes for solitude. If you will come back another day I'm sure he would be happy to see you then."

"It's urgent I talk to him now," the man insisted. "I was one of Wufei's roommates when he moved out of his uncle's house. Please, just tell him Heero Yuy is here to see him."

"I really would love to, but Wufei wants to be alone," Meiran persisted. "He isn't feeling well. He's been sick for nearly a week, actually, and it's making him very...depressed and unsociable. I don't know what's wrong, but he refuses to see visitors. So I'm very sorry, but..."

"If Wufei is feeling down, then I believe I could cheer him up," Heero explained. "I have some news for him, and it's very good news. He will want to know what I have to tell him, trust me."

"As I said before, he is recieving no visitors," Meiran declared, refusing to let his bluffing work, but inside her insistence began to waver.

Heero seemed to know, as he took another step closer. "Please...Mrs. Chang." He seemed to hesitate with her name. "Please, just let me inside. Just let me see him..."

Meiran opened her mouth to protest, but shut it after a moment. After all, this was one of Wufei's old roommates and, therefore, a friend of his. Maybe he could do as he said. Perhaps a visit from Heero could cheer Wufei up. And Heero seemed very adamant to see Wufei, almost desperate. Wufei had told her to tell all visitors he was sick or meditating, but surely it wouldn't hurt to let this Heero come in, if only just to say hi. Maybe the sight of an old friend would help cheer him up.

"Very well, Mr. Yuy," she nodded. "You may come in, but I'm warning you beforehand. Wufei had been very depressed the last few days, and he told me to deny all visitors. I don't know how he will react to you..."

"His reaction to seeing me is one I highly anticipate," Heero mentioned, and Meiran watched him for another moment before turning and leading him to the library. She eased open the large door silently and looked in. As always, there was Wufei, sitting in the chair, staring outside. She had only stepped inside before Heero brushed past her and ahead. He reached Wufei's chair and, what seemed like tentatively, touched his shoulder.

"Please, just go away," Wufei sighed, obviously thinking it was Meiran.

"I never thought I would hear the day when you would tell me to go away," Heero remarked, and Meiran thought she saw a bit of an amused smile at the corner of his lips. Or was it a smirk?

Wufei's reaction to Heero's voice and presence was startling. He stiffened visibly, glanced up at Heero, and nearly exploded. Jumping rather violently away from Heero, he rapidly backed himself into a corner and glared at Heero, his entire body tense and shuddering with indiscernable emotions. Meiran gasped in worry and took a step forward, then forced herself to stop. At least it was a reaction from Wufei. A somewhat violent, angry reaction, but a reaction nonetheless. And she had the small hunch she should let the scene play out and not involve herself. So she watched.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Wufei yelled as Meiran backed to the wall and tried to look invisible. It didn't seem to matter, as neither Wufei nor Heero spared her a glance, having eyes only for each other, their gazes locked. "You...damnit, I told you not to follow me! I told you to stay away! Why the hell can't you listen for once?"

"You would think that I would get a bit more sympathy, instead of being yelled at," Heero raised an eyebrow, but his eyes were cold and harsh. "You, after all, were the one who walked out on us. That's rather cruel, don't you think? We opened our hearts and souls to you, told you our secret, allowed you into our home...and you just walk out with a note. No explanation, no calls, nothing. Just a note. And you're yelling at me for coming after you? I want an explanation, Wufei!" Heero demanded to know, and the vague suspicions began to float rapidly in Meiran's mind as she watched.

Wufei had gone slowly from angry to paniced, worried, and deeply sorrowed. The depression had returned full force, Meiran could see it in his eyes. It was the look he had all week. His mouth opened and closed like an uncertain fish, but no words were coming out. Finally, he swallowed and forced himself to talk, his voice desperate. "Please, Heero, please...I...I didn't want to...I didn't want to hurt you..."

"Well, you failed, Wufei, because we are hurt," Heero growled. "You stirred up a lot of shit when you left, Wufei. Quatre blamed it on himself, Duo's been depressed and prone to rages of anger, Trowa's barely speaking and I...well, I had to make a sacrifice..."

"Oh, god, I'm sorry," Wufei suddenly cried out, falling to his knees like a helpless child. "I had no choice, I had to leave! I'm sorry, I'm sorry...just kill me, please!" Meiran's eyes widened, and she swallowed nervously. Had Wufei's depression gone that far already? He wanted to die? "Just kill me, Heero...please..."

There's a small preview of how the other g boys felt when Fei Fei left 'em. Net chapter is a cool one, I hope. REVIEW!!! YAY

Storm